Chapter 466: [Dragon's Water Absorption] (Part 2)

Qiqi saw this bastard suddenly reveal a sinister expression; her heart inexplicably felt creepy; she trembled and said: "You… what do you want?" Earlier Hu Xiaotian's behavior in the wine cellar was still fresh in her memory; if it weren't for her aunt intervening, he might really dare to silence her.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I don't want anything; even a cornered rabbit will bite. If the Princess keeps pressing me, I won't rule out… hehe… you understand."

Qiqi giggled, took out a black box from her leather pouch—a black box Hu Xiaotian was extremely familiar with.

Hu Xiaotian saw the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle and was dumbfounded; before Qiqi could speak, he drooped his head: "Move aside! Nobody stop me from wiping the floor!"

"A wise person adapts; a true man can bend or stretch—it's just wiping the floor, could it tire me to death?" Hu Xiaotian wasn't afraid of Qiqi; he feared the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle in her hand. This girl was ruthless, always keeping a trump card.

He wiped all the way to the wall; after more than ten reflections, the light finally projected onto the wall a spot the size of a teacup mouth. Hu Xiaotian wiped off the surface moss; behind it there was no bronze mirror, only a circular depression.

Qiqi came over, touched it, and whispered: "Help me take down that Bright Pearl."

Hu Xiaotian could only lend his head again, letting her step on his head to take the Bright Pearl from the eye socket of the ceiling dragon carving. Once the Bright Pearl was removed, the indoor light pillars instantly vanished. Qiqi grabbed the Bright Pearl and leapt down from Hu Xiaotian's head, returning to the original spot and inserting the Bright Pearl into the depression. A breathtaking scene unfolded before them: centered on the Bright Pearl, light rapidly spread outward, a shimmering golden dragon appeared on the rock wall before them, accompanied by a thunderous boom. The ground beneath their feet trembled violently. They hurriedly retreated, only to see the ground at the base of the rock wall split open, revealing a dark, pitch-black hole.

Hu Xiaotian clicked his tongue in amazement; the design of this underground cavern truly deserved the praise of supernatural craftsmanship. Qiqi's leather pouch indeed held many treasures; she then took out a Night Pearl, although not as large as the previous one, it was sufficient for illumination. Walking down the steps, after only a few paces a pond appeared ahead, about ten zhang in length and width, calm and waveless. Opposite the pond were three tiers of stone steps, atop which stood a Great Bronze Cauldron.

Qiqi exclaimed in delight: "Found it!" It seemed her goal was this Great Bronze Cauldron. After all, she was still a child at heart; seeing the goal right before her, she immediately ran over. Arriving at the pond's edge, she jumped in; Hu Xiaotian shook his head, and by the time he reached the pond's edge, Qiqi had already swum to the center.

But suddenly the pond water turned turbulent; Qiqi immediately sensed something amiss. An inexplicable feeling of danger welled up in her heart; she turned her head underwater and saw a huge black shadow swiftly rising from below.

Hu Xiaotian reacted instantly, shouting: "Run!"

Boom! A tremendous sound. Water splashed everywhere as a giant crocodile about three zhang long burst out of the water. Half its body emerged above the surface, it opened its massive jaws to devour Qiqi. Qiqi was terrified out of her wits; she never imagined that this seemingly tranquil pond hid such a dangerous creature. Although frightened, Qiqi did not lose her composure at the critical moment. She raised the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle, aimed at the crocodile's gaping maw, and a dense shower of steel needles shot into it. The crocodile winced, jerked its head sideways, missed its target, and its jaws snapped shut with a muffled bang. Qiqi strove to swim to the opposite bank, hoping to escape the pond before the crocodile could regroup.

Although the steel needles had entered the crocodile's mouth, they obviously hadn't inflicted fatal damage. After turning in the water, it resumed its pursuit of Qiqi. She flailed her arms and legs, desperately swimming toward the shore, feeling the ripples behind her—likely the crocodile drawing nearer. Her hand finally touched the bank; she pushed herself up and clambered out of the pond before the crocodile could catch her.

The giant crocodile had already reached her rear, poised to strike. Qiqi scrambled ashore in a disheveled crawl, only to see the crocodile follow her up, its small eyes greedily fixed on her as it opened its massive jaws, revealing rows of white fangs, preparing a second lethal attack.

Qiqi gripped the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle in her hand and pressed it repeatedly, sending the remaining steel needles flying at the crocodile. This time the crocodile closed its mouth; the needles struck its hard skin and could not penetrate, causing no harm. Qiqi threw the empty needle case at the crocodile; it hit its head and then fell to the ground—such an attack could not possibly injure the crocodile. Qiqi turned to flee, but at that crucial moment she missed a step, twisted her ankle, cried out in pain, and collapsed to the ground.

The crocodile seemed to have deemed its prey unable to escape, slowly advancing step by step toward Qiqi.

Qiqi backed away, trembling as she said: "Hu Xiaotian…" At that moment she finally noticed there was no sign of Hu Xiaotian on the shore. Despair filled her heart; seeing the crocodile draw ever closer, her ankle throbbed as if it would split, and she could not muster the strength to crawl up. Qiqi shrieked: "Hu Xiaotian, you bastard, I will grind your bones to ashes, scatter your remains!" She believed Hu Xiaotian had abandoned her, uncaring of her life or death.

The crocodile slowly opened its jaws, ready to savor the tasty morsel before it. Just then, Hu Xiaotian leapt from the water like a divine soldier descending from heaven, both hands gripping the dagger Qiqi had given him, aiming at the crocodile's right eye and viciously thrusting it in. This dagger could cut iron like mud; its ability to slice through metal nets underwater had already been proven, and now it came in handy. In fact, Hu Xiaotian had not fled; seeing the crocodile focus all its energy on Qiqi, he seized the opportunity to swim across the pond and launch a surprise attack.

Pfft! The dagger sank into the crocodile's right eye up to the hilt.

The crocodile, in abdominal pain, violently thrashed its head; Hu Xiaotian felt a tremendous force strike him, his body was flung off by the crocodile, his back slammed heavily against the stone wall, then slid down along it, feeling as if every bone in his body were nearly shattered.

The crocodile, grievously wounded, had its ferocity fully aroused; it lunged wildly at Hu Xiaotian. Qiqi let out a startled cry, as if seeing Hu Xiaotian being swallowed whole by the crocodile. Even Hu Xiaotian himself thought it was over, but the crocodile, lunging mid‑air, seemed to be tugged by something, and crashed heavily to the ground, its body landing less than half a chi from Hu Xiaotian. Its jaws kept opening and closing with thuds, but the distance was too short to harm him in the slightest.

Hu Xiaotian had believed he was surely doomed; he closed his eyes, silently lamenting that good deeds shouldn't be done, that saving others would only feed himself to the crocodile. Just as he regretted it too late, he heard the crocodile's jaws go thud‑thud, opened his eyes, and saw the creature straining forward—its left hind leg was shackled by an iron chain, which restrained its movement and, at the critical moment, saved his life.

Hu Xiaotian burst out laughing, seized the moment when the crocodile's jaws were closed, and yanked the dagger from its right eye. The crocodile, in pain, swept its tail sideways; a gust of wind rushed past Hu Xiaotian's face, his skin stinging as if cut by a blade—showing the astonishing power of that sweep; if struck by that tail, he would have no chance of survival.

The crocodile was extremely cunning; it quickly realized it could not catch Hu Xiaotian, turned to seek Qiqi, who by then had managed to limp up and flee the danger zone.

Hu Xiaotian gripped the dagger tightly, drew a deep breath, and charged again. Although the crocodile's movement was restricted by the iron chain, they would still have to cross the pond when retreating; it had to be eliminated, otherwise it would pose a major obstacle for them.

Unexpectedly, the crocodile's turn to look for Qiqi was merely a feint; as Hu Xiaotian launched his attack, it suddenly swung its head back. Qiqi cried out in alarm: "Be careful!" Yet she saw Hu Xiaotian, with astonishing reflexes, move like a ghost to the crocodile's right side—using the Chicken‑Flying Dog‑Leaping Step from the Dog‑Dodging Eighteen Steps. He blinded the crocodile's right eye, impairing its vision on that side, successfully evaded the attack, shifted his footing, and in an instant lunged close to the crocodile while its jaws remained closed, raising his blood‑smeared dagger and stabbing fiercely into its skull. This strike hit true; the sharp dagger pierced the crocodile's skull and penetrated deep into its brain.

Although the crocodile was ferocious and tenacious, it was after all not an invulnerable divine beast; having its vital spot stabbed, it instantly lost all resistance, its head drooped limp and hit the ground, shaking the entire earth.

Hu Xiaotian let out a long breath; the battle had left him utterly exhausted, drenched in foul sweat. He pulled the dagger from the crocodile's head, then, with great difficulty, stumbled over to Qiqi, smiled and said: "Just now I seemed to hear someone say they would grind my bones to ashes, hack me to pieces."

Qiqi, still shaken, stared at the dead giant crocodile, then glanced at him, and suddenly burst into giggles; her pure, childlike face unexpectedly showed a charm never seen before.

After they caught their breath, they helped each other up. Qiqi, limping, approached the Great Bronze Cauldron, used the Bright Pearl to illuminate the inscriptions on it, silently read them once, then knelt before the cauldron and bowed three times respectfully. She returned to its side and had Hu Xiaotian use the Bright Pearl to light the interior; the cauldron's base also bore a pattern, which Qiqi rearranged. Hu Xiaotian watched from the side—this must be a puzzle lock—and sure enough, once the pattern was reordered, the Great Bronze Cauldron slowly slid backward, revealing a square stone chamber beneath, inside which lay a box.

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